Smelly Sneakers?

Updated March 2, 2001 12:01 a.m. ET

N ike has been getting raked over the coals in recent weeks for a Feb. 22 report documenting sexual harassment, physical punishments and other abuse at factories that make its products in Indonesia. This has led to some fresh corporation-bashing from those who always find some reason to cast stones at entities that bother to employ lots of people. Yet when Nike's corporate practices are given an ethical sniff test, the sneaker maker doesn't come out smelling so bad.